National flag-carrier Air India published an updated travel advisory on 6 March confirming that it will continue complimentary rescheduling or full refunds for tickets issued on or before 28 February for travel to the Middle East, UK and Europe until 10 March. The airline and its low-cost affiliate Air India Express have gradually restarted services to Jeddah and Muscat after Saudi and Omani regulators declared their airspace safe, but most direct flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Riyadh remain suspended.
To clear backlogs, the Tata-owned group is running additional non-scheduled “rescue” rotations on 7 March from Abu Dhabi, Ras Al-Khaimah and Sharjah, while also up-gauging capacity on Delhi–Toronto and Delhi–Frankfurt sectors to accommodate passengers re-routed away from the Gulf. Long-haul flights to Europe and North America continue but follow northerly detours that add fuel stops in Rome or Vienna and extend duty times.
For mobility managers, the extended waiver window is a rare opportunity to rearrange travel without penalty. However, experts caution that hotel rates in key transit cities such as Muscat and Manama have spiked 40 per cent in the last week and that securing Schengen visas at short notice remains a bottleneck for crews repositioned via Europe.
![Air India Offers Free Re-booking and Full Refunds as West-Asia Turmoil Drags On]()
For organisations scrambling to secure last-minute travel documents, specialist agency VisaHQ can ease the burden. Through its India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) the firm fast-tracks applications for Schengen, Gulf Cooperation Council and other transit visas, giving mobility teams real-time status updates and dedicated support that cuts lead times and reduces the risk of itinerary disruption.
Air India has enhanced its digital self-service tools, allowing passengers to process refunds or change dates online instead of queuing at overwhelmed call-centres. The airline is also liaising with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to streamline slots for repatriation flights, a move welcomed by India Inc., which relies on predictable lift for high-value personnel rotations to the Gulf energy sector.
Tactically, companies are advised to spread risk by ticketing staff on multiple carriers and by purchasing ‘change-flex’ fares even on routes not currently impacted, given the fluid security landscape.
To clear backlogs, the Tata-owned group is running additional non-scheduled “rescue” rotations on 7 March from Abu Dhabi, Ras Al-Khaimah and Sharjah, while also up-gauging capacity on Delhi–Toronto and Delhi–Frankfurt sectors to accommodate passengers re-routed away from the Gulf. Long-haul flights to Europe and North America continue but follow northerly detours that add fuel stops in Rome or Vienna and extend duty times.
For mobility managers, the extended waiver window is a rare opportunity to rearrange travel without penalty. However, experts caution that hotel rates in key transit cities such as Muscat and Manama have spiked 40 per cent in the last week and that securing Schengen visas at short notice remains a bottleneck for crews repositioned via Europe.
For organisations scrambling to secure last-minute travel documents, specialist agency VisaHQ can ease the burden. Through its India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) the firm fast-tracks applications for Schengen, Gulf Cooperation Council and other transit visas, giving mobility teams real-time status updates and dedicated support that cuts lead times and reduces the risk of itinerary disruption.
Air India has enhanced its digital self-service tools, allowing passengers to process refunds or change dates online instead of queuing at overwhelmed call-centres. The airline is also liaising with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to streamline slots for repatriation flights, a move welcomed by India Inc., which relies on predictable lift for high-value personnel rotations to the Gulf energy sector.
Tactically, companies are advised to spread risk by ticketing staff on multiple carriers and by purchasing ‘change-flex’ fares even on routes not currently impacted, given the fluid security landscape.
